India’s only orangutan named Binny died at the age of 41 in Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Key Highlights
- About: The Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) has lost one of its beloved members the 41-year-old orangutan ‘Bini’, an extant species of great apes.
- Background: The lone female orangutan Binny, was brought to Nandankanan Zoo from Pune’s Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park on 20 November 2003, when she was 25 years old. Since her arrival she has been alone in her zoo enclosure and zoo officials failed to arrange a male partner for her.
- Reason: According to NZP, ‘Binny’ died due to age-related complications. He also suffered from respiratory tract infection. Tissue samples were collected and postmortem is scheduled, for further investigation to correlate exact cause of death.
- Care: She was taken out of the enclosure a year ago. The orangutan was under treatment for a year by experts from College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT. Even the orangutan’s experts from United Kingdom (UK) and Singapore were also giving constant advice.
About Orangutans
- The word “orangutan” actually means “person of forest”.
- They are one of the world’s three extant species of great apes.
- Orangutans are native to Indonesia and Malaysia and are currently found only in rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra.
- They are considered to be among most intelligent primates. An orangutan can live up to 45 years in the wild and even more in zoos.
- They have been extensively studied by researchers for their learning abilities.
- They use a variety of sophisticated tools and even construct elaborate sleeping nests from branches and foliage.